As part of its Orbiter Year-Round Series, Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival is thrilled to present the Texas premiere of the SciFi screwball comedy FUTURE ‘38 on Wednesday, May 17 (7:30pm) at Flix Brewhouse. Writer/Director Jamie Greenberg will be in attendance and will do a Q&A after the screening.

FUTURE ’38 is a Technicolor valentine to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and ‘40s, with a SciFi twist. It’s a time-travel adventure which presents the exotic future-world of 2018 A.D., as imagined by the filmmakers of 1938! Greenberg's film won the Audience Award at Slamdance 2017 and the Grand Jury Prize at Gasparilla 2017.

“I can't wait to share FUTURE ‘38 with the OWA audience,” says Dan Repp, OWA Senior Programmer and Event Director. “Jamie Greenberg and his team have created a truly original experience that demands multiple screenings. I wanted to watch this ambitious film again right after my first screening because it's full of subtleties and non-stop wise-cracking.”

Our modern world through a 1930's lens.... FUTURE '38 is a "lost" classic film from 1938, recently rediscovered in a Hollywood attic! Filmed in blazing early Technicolor, it's the story of a man who must save the world by travelling to the future—all the way to 2018. And man, did those old-timey filmmakers get a lot right.

“My favorite part of all our screenings,” says Repp, “is the conversations between the filmmaker, the audience, and the Other Worlds Austin Team after the films and I'm really excited to hear what people will have to say about FUTURE ‘38!”

Writer/Director Jamie Greenberg has a long history in time-travel, having co-created (and acted on!) WHERE IN TIME IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?, for which he received two Emmy nominations. He also wrote for all five seasons of its predecessor show, WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?. He has written for numerous networks including MTV, FOX, PBS, Comedy Central, VH-1, History Channel, and more.

Sean Young (BLADE RUNNER, DUNE), Robert John Burke (ROBOCOP 3) and Ethan Phillips Neelix (STAR TREK: VOYAGER, STAR TREK: TNG, STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, and STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE) all have prominent roles in the film. And if that’s not enough, FUTURE ’38 kicks off with an introduction from world-famous astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson!

Don’t miss the film Hollywood Reporter describes as "If Ed Wood and John Waters somehow adopted a baby and raised them to make a film in modern-day midtown Manhattan” and Indiewire calls a “Must-see film… Ideal escapism, with plenty of pastels to boot.”

Star Wars fans (I suspect a few read this newsletter) do not want to miss our Thursday, May 4, 2017 Star Wars Day Celebration at 4th Tap Brewing Co-operative. The doors open to this FREE EVENT at 6pm at 10615 Metric Blvd, with the main festivities kicking off around 7:30.

There will be a Costume Contest with prizes from OWA Sponsor Dragon’s Lair Comics and Fantasy, a Wookie Mating Call Contest for all you hirsute lovers out there, and a raffle for a TAUNTAUN OF GOODIES. Included in the raffle prize are gift cards for Flix Brewhouse, ILoveVideo, and Dragon's Lair Comics and Fantasy, an Ewok plush toy, a Jyn Erso POP! Bobble-Head, a 45-minute photoshoot with OWA friend and shooter Becca Gamache ($189 value), a bootleg BluRay of the legendary Star Wars Holiday Special with many of the original 1978 CBS commercials that ran during the original airing, and finally, an exclusive tour of the 4th Tap Brewery with the brewers for you and your friends.

Tickets for the raffle are a mere $5 and include an exclusive commemorative #NotMyEmperor screenprint poster from OWA Designer David Poe to the first 100 raffle entries (look right).

And, since this is a brewery, don’t forget we will have taproom-only limited releases created specifically for the event by 4th Tap founders and brewers: "The Fist of the Empire,” (a dark beer) "The Iron Knight,” (an amber) and the "The Voss Mystic," representing the blended or balanced aspects of the Force.

The evening all leads up the to the 3rd Annual Fan Film screening, where we put the best of films created by Star Wars fans all over the world up on the big screen. The actual program remains clouded in mystery, obscured in the protective measures instituted by Obi-Wan Kenobi after Order 66. However, OWA Founder and Artistic Director Bears Fonte has let slip a few titles. “The Star Wars Fan Film Awards, now in the second year of its relaunch, has assured that we will have a regular batch of new films to choose from every year,” says Fonté, who selected the evening’s program along with Programmer and Social Media Director Mark Martinez, “you don’t want to miss the chance to see the 2016 winner TK-436: A STORMTROOPER STORY up on the big screen and with a group of fans.”

Films can be effect-laden marvels, or low budget scrappy sketches, they can be parodies, songs, or animations, or even parody song animations. “These are people making films because they love to live in and add to the Star Wars Universe,” says Fonté, who says there is a bit of a surprise focus of more than a few of the selections this year. “Everyone loves Boba Fett, everyone loves Darth Chewbacca, I wanted to draw a little attention to one of the truly great Star Wars characters with this years program,” he says, adding, “you’ll have to come out to find out who."

Star Wars Day Fan Films Highlights

TK-436 A Stormtrooper Story — The gritty tale of an Imperial stormtrooper who is forced to confront his past in the heat of a battle. Winner of the 2016 Filmmaker Select Star Wars Fan Film Award.

The Sable Corsair — The crew of the smuggler ship The Sable Corsair fight for survival on a mysterious, hostile planet. Winner of the 2016 Audience Choice Star Wars Fan Film Award.

Ben in the Desert: Jawas Are Bad Neighbors — The Rebellion has begun! Darth Vader is born! All this rad stuff is happening to everyone….except for Obi Wan Kenobi who is on Tatooine where he will spend the next eighteen years as a glorified babysitter…from afar…because he’s like not really supposed to talk to Luke…but whatever…Winner of the 2016 Best Comedy Star Wars Fan Film Award.

Kara — A veteran X-Wing pilot helps transport a young girl with mysterious powers and her desperate father to an underground Rebel base.

Rebel Scum — A Rebellion pilot is hounded by death from the merciless Empire and a frozen grave, after being abandoned during the retreat of the Rebel Alliance from Hoth.

Millennial Falcon — a story set in the galaxy far, far away, but one that shares the same modern problems as our own. You don’t need to wait until the young Han Solo movie to get a young Han Solo parody.

Other Worlds Austin is one of the premier SciFi film festivals in the USA, with three years running of sold out screenings, over a dozen World and North American Premieres, and filmmakers from all over the world in attendance. Last year we added Horror to the mix with Under Worlds Austin to great acclaim. Screening at Flix Brewhouse, America's only cinema with its own microbrewery, our films play on DCP with 5.1 sound on giant 42+ foot screens, arguably the best in the Austin area. Indie at its heart, OWA is firmly committed to championing filmmakers and writers and bringing the best films to the Geek Capital of the World. With a diverse and approachable team of programmers, we are building a network of SciFi fans and filmmakers, leading a loyal community, and launching SciFi films into the wider world.

But really...why send us your film? Well:

-FILMMAKERS HAVE A BLAST HERE! We firmly believe in framing our festival around you - the filmmaker. At OWA, you can count on a full theater of genre fans eager to watch your film (and ask you questions after - we hold a Q&A after every screening!) Network with other artists at our annual Filmmaker Happy Hour and throughout the fest.

-WE GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT YOUR FILM! We want our programs to have the biggest reach possible – we pick the films we do for a reason, after all (hint: they’re awesome and everyone should see them). OWA prides itself with awesome marketing efforts, both on our own website/blog and coverage from taste-maker publications like The Austin Chronicle and Austin360. And those full audiences we mentioned earlier? They’re ready to spread the word too by telling their friends and sharing on social media (how else do people hear about new films these days anyway?)

-WE F-ING LOVE GENRE! Lots of festivals only have so many slots reserved for “genre” films. That’s where we come in. OWA is all about giving a platform to stories set in fantastical worlds. We’re constantly pushing the boundaries of what makes SciFi, well, SciFi. Same for Horror (we launched permanent Horror sidebar Under Worlds Austin last year to great acclaim!) All you need is a great story and the eye to tell it. We even have a year-round screening series, Other Worlds Orbiter, because once a year is just not enough to share the awesome SciFi films that we come across.

-HOW ABOUT REASONABLE FEES & TRANSPARENCY? We know how rough it is out there money-wise for artists (many of us on the team are filmmakers ourselves.) OWA prices its submissions accordingly and of course rewards thinking ahead with cheaper Early Bird rates! Another thing we offer: transparency to submitters. Even if you aren’t accepted to the festival, feel free to request feedback from our programmers. You paid us money – the least we can do is offer some constructive notes on your project and why it didn’t make the cut this time.

Every story has a beginning. Every realized dreamscape, every fantastic voyage, every intelligent android to ever appear on screen starts with blank page or a blinking cursor. Science fiction has always been about incredible possibilities and exploring the unknown, and what offers more opportunity than an empty page?

Other Worlds is dedicated to fostering and promoting creativity in Science Fiction at every stage of development, so we are proud to announce our annual SciFi Screenwriting Contest is now currently open and accepting submissions! The contest runs concurrently with the film program, and will award prizes for the top feature, short or teleplay.

Each of the category finalists will receive all five books from Save the Cat!® and a copy of Save the Cat!® Story Structure Software 3.0: Structure your screenplay the Save the Cat!® Way. In addition, the winner in the feature category will receive free a 1-hour phone consultation from a Master Cat® about their script (up to 120 pages) and the winners of both the short and teleplay category will receive an hour free consultation to discuss any aspect of their project.

All three category winners receive $250 in cash, with the Grand Prize Winner selected from the three winners receiving an additional $250 cash.

In addition, every entrant will receive an online discount code for the latest Save the Cat!® books, including the soon be published book analyzing independent films scheduled for release in April.

SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT

We are looking for original submissions that are character and story driven with a decidedly SciFi angle. The Other Worlds Austin SciFi Screenwriting Contest sets itself apart from other competitions in that we are judging purely on writing skill, talent and ability to tell an engaging, exciting and original story. We want you to show us your best scripts. Squid monsters, robots, existential astronauts, genetically engineered sentient cheeseburgers, cyborg tigers and all others welcome.

While we do expect scripts to exhibit an understanding of what is possible in the industry, we aren’t interested in whether or not a script can stick within a certain budget, and our winners aren’t selected by small production companies in hopes of optioning something financially feasible. Our prizes are meant to keep creative and talented people encouraged to generate fantastic stories within the genre. We also understand that some scripts are written as an exercise or just purely for fun, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of winning.

By Eric Harrelson — The universe of STAR WARS is vast, deep and largely unexplored. I hope the success of ROGUE ONE will soften Disney’s view of what can work as a STAR WARS property and allow for new and exciting stories to be told in that galaxy so long ago and so far, far away.

A Case for Ewoks

By Courtney Hazlett— When it comes to STAR WARS you should know that Ewoks hold a special place in my soul. Now, I have read many blogs about people’s hate for Ewoks and that they are the worst, etc. However, I am here to make a case for the Ewoks and prove to you why they actually are worthy of respect.

DIARY OF AN IMPERIAL GUARDSMEN

By Dan Repp — I can remember the look on my son's face when I told him I got the promotion from Storm Trooper to Imperial Guard. My wife was proud, but more relieved. The Storm Trooper death-on-the-job rate has shot up since the rebellion found a new hope and our pensions had recently been cut to build the Death Star.